(Motorsport-Total.com) – George Russell is completely dismayed after the Monaco Grand Prix: “I’m more than frustrated,” explains the Mercedes driver to our sister portal Motorsport.com.
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“I’m just trying to understand how the season could have gone this way so far. Two weekends in a row [have gone like this now]: 40 points down the drain.”
In both Montreal and Monaco, Russell was unable to take any championship points from the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli, on the other hand, celebrated five Grand Prix victories in a row and leads the world championship with 156 points. In second position is no longer Russell, but Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
“Yesterday was a really bad day for me, and I accept that,” explains Russell. “I wish I could take the blame for the last two results, the retirement in Canada or the penalties today. But that was completely out of my control.”
In the race, Russell received a time penalty because, according to the FIA, he had driven too fast in the pit lane. When his crew tried to serve this penalty during a pit stop, they made a horrendous mistake, which ultimately led to Russell being handed a drive-through penalty.
Apart from that, the 28-year-old was mostly stuck in traffic, while teammate Antonelli was able to dominate the race at the front. Before the first safety car phase, the 19-year-old had even lapped his championship rival. In the standings, Russell finished in twelfth place.
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“That’s really a bitter pill,” Russell continues. “I don’t really believe in luck or bad luck. But when I look at the season as a whole…”
“I led the race in Canada and the car broke down. I could have been on the podium today and instead got no points. I led the race in Japan, only for the safety car to come out 10 seconds after my pit stop.”
“This season could look completely different,” Russell emphasizes. “Now I’m 70 points behind.”
The gap between Russell and Antonelli is 68 points after the Monaco Grand Prix. Nevertheless, the Mercedes driver mentions with a view to the championship standings: “[The gap] is not too big [to close]. Look at Verstappen last year.”
“I just have to get out of this…”, Russell begins. “I don’t know why we always end up in the same position. Certainly, I need to improve some things, but I know what I can achieve on clean race weekends.”
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